Getting Back to What Brings Us Together

This piece is dedicated to my friend, Robert A. “Bobby” Bell, Jr. 
My girlfriend and I recently attended a Phillies-Red Sox game with 40-60 people. Besides Bryce Harper’s ejection and the Phillies losing 6-3, it was the most memorable baseball game I have been to.
What made the afternoon memorable was who we were remembering at the game.
My friend, Bobby, died two years ago from illness at age 22. He loved sports as much as I do. It was ironic that I was coming home from a Yankees game when I found out that he died.
Bobby was a fanatic of the teams that were playing that afternoon – as far as I know, he was more of a Red Sox fan. His brother, Tommy, told me that Bobby had been to around 100 Phillies games. His mother decided to invite as many people as possible to the game, so we could uniquely remember him.
Bobby’s life, and his love for the Phillies, prompted me to ask for a Phillies jersey with his last name adorning the back for Christmas. “Santa” didn’t disappoint, and I have worn the jersey to each Phillies game I have attended. That way, Bobby can continue to be in attendance.
Sports have always had an interesting effect on people, it seems. Fans come from separate measures of life, but have championship smiles or faces of frustration during games. 
They always seem to never judge one another personally, besides possibly being a fan of an opposing team.
When watching sports, people typically seem to tuck topics that can start conflict away for the length of the game.
In today’s world of connected people, spreading negativity is easy with a click. Social media appears to be cluttered with memes of politicians.
It’s either a conservative posting a meme about how Bernie Sanders is a socialist, or a liberal who can’t forget the “covfefe” tweet Trump wrote two years ago. Can’t we foul-off politics into the stands for a bit?
I’ll admit, I’m someone that needs to work on this too. I sometimes cringe when another’s beliefs don’t align with mine.
Everyone has different views on how our officials should run our communities. As difficult as it is, it’s something that we have to accept to live among each other with kindness.
As I age, I’ve realized that sports are something that can help us accept others – to a degree. Fans have different teams, but we still enjoy watching games together.
Getting back to what brings us together allows us to share humanity. Besides, how can you share a laugh with someone who doesn’t have the same political views as you?
Remembering Bobby for the sports fanatic he was reminds me of how vital it is to cherish someone’s time with us, but also how that time should be shared.
People will be surrounded by different political views. There will always be that person that may say, “These illegals need to get out of our country.” There will also be someone who says, “These people need to be put on a path towards citizenship.”
Through our differences, we need to enjoy each other’s company, maybe with a simple, “Hey, how about those Phillies?”
ED. NOTE: The author is the editorial assistant at the Cape May County Herald. To contact Conklin, email econklin@cmcherald.com.